Potato-planter.



PATENTED AUGi 25, 1903n F. KOHSER.

POTATO PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1902.

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PATENTED AUG. 2-5, 1903.

I. KOHSER.

POTATO PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1902.

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N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented August 25, 1903.

FRANZ KOHSER, OF GRElFENI-IAGEN, GERMANY.

POTATO-PLANTER.

SPECIFIQATIQN forming part of ,Letters Patent No. 736,981,

dated August 25, 1903.

Application filed May 15,1902. Serial No. 107,448. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANZ KOHSER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Groifenhagen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to potato-planters, and has for its object to provide a machine of this character for dropping potato-pieces at regular intervals and to prevent a clogging or choking of the machinery.

The invention will now be fully described, and the features of novelty pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of a potato-planterembodyingmyinvention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a partial plan. Figs. 4c and 5 are sectional elevations on lines as y and o w of Fig. 6, respectively. Fig. 6 is a plan of the distributor-disk and adjacent parts, drawn upon an enlarged scale; and Fig. 7 is a detail face view of the ejector, with the distributor-disk and the mechanism for driving said disk, the other parts being omitted for the sake of clearnose.

The machine shown in the drawings is adapted to plant potatoes in four rows or forrows; but I do not restrict myself to this number.

Small shares or furrow-openers c are employed to throw up the soil, and immediately in the rear of such furrow-openers the potatopieces are dropped through seed-channels it. Still farther in the rear are located furrowcovers r for covering the potato-pieces with earth. The upper ends of the channel a are located adjacent to the periphery of horizontal distributor-disks ct, provided with openings or notches t, which are adapted to rogistor successively with the upper ends of the channels n. Immediately above said disks are casings or chambers Z, each adapted to receive its supply of potato-pieces from a hopper 7c. The disks or are rotated about vertical axes by providing them with bevel-teeth on their bottom surface, such teeth moshing with bevel-pinions 0 upon the shaft or axle w,

driven by the supporting-wheels t. For instance, a controlling-levers may be provided for connecting, the shaft to with the supporting wheels or, disconnecting it therefrom. When the shaft is in motion, the distributordisks (1 will rotate and the potato-pieces will drop through the openings o, from the upper side of the disks a to the lower' side thereof into the channels a, the dropping of the potato-pieces occurring at regular intervals.

In order to prevent a clogging of the passages t', there is provided in connection with each channel at an ejector d, mounted to rotate upon ahorizontal axis stationary in relation to the casing Z. These ejectors are rotated simply by contact with the distributor-disks a and are for this purpose made star-shaped, so that ejectors and distributordisks will mesh after the fashion of gearwheels, as shown best in Fig. 7. These ejectors will force any potato-pieces that may become jammed in the passages idownward into the channels 1t.

In order to thoroughly agitate and distribute the potato-pieces, I provide stirrers or rollers c, disposed above the distributor-disks a in a radial direction with reference thereto and proferablysup ported bysprin gs s,securod to the casing Z. These rollers are disposed in advance of the ejectors cl and are rotated so as to have a tendency to throw the potatopieces upward by any suitable means, as by bevel-gearing connected with disks or and suitably inelosod. (See Fig. 4.)

It will be observed that the ejectors (i move in planes which intersect the plane of rotation of the distributor-disk a.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of my invention;

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patenta 1. In a distributing mechanism, the combination, with a rotatable distributor having passages leading from one of its faces to the opposite face, of a stirrer yieldingly mounted on the feed side of the distributor so as to be movable toward and from the distributor.

2. In a distributing mechanism, the combination, with a rotatable distributor having passages loading from one of its faces to its opposite face, of a stirrer mounted to turn on the feed side of the distributer about an axis parallel with the adjacent face of the distributer, said stirrer being yieldingly mounted so that it may move toward and from the distributer.

In a distributing mechanism, the combination, with-a rotatable distributer provided at its periphery with passages leading from one of its faces to its opposite face, gearing located centrally on the feed side of the distributer, a stirring-roller, the shaft of which is provided at its inner end with a pinion engaging said gearing, and a spring-pressed bearing for the outer end of the roller-shaft.

4:. In a distributing mechanism, the combination, with a rotatable distributer provided at its periphery with passages leading from one of its faces to its opposite face, of a stirring-roller arranged to turn on the feed side of the distributer about an axis parallel with the adjacent face of the distributer, said roller extending lengthwise of its shaft from a pointin line with the path of the distributerpassages, to a point nearer the center of the distributer than said passage.

5. Ina distributing mechanism, the combination, with a rotary distribu ter, of a yield ingly-mounted stirrer located on the feed side of the distributer and arranged to rotate about an axis parallel to the plane in Which the distributer rotates.

6. In a distributing mechanism, the combination, with a rotary distributer having through-passages, an ejector mounted to turn about an axis at an angle to that of the distributer, and arranged to project into said passages when they reach a predetermined point, and a stirrer located on the feed side of the distributer at a point in advance of said ejector.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANZ KOHSER.

Witnesses:

RICHARD I'IANNEMANN, H. GLOMB. 

